diff --git a/.github/workflows/codeowners-v2.yml b/.github/workflows/codeowners-v2.yml
index 0a4f97b1395fb..ae95fd0de05fb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/codeowners-v2.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/codeowners-v2.yml
@@ -106,6 +106,6 @@ jobs:
       run: nix-build ci -A requestReviews
 
     - name: Request reviews
-      run: result/bin/request-reviews.sh ${{ github.repository }} ${{ github.event.number }} "$OWNERS_FILE"
+      run: result/bin/request-code-owner-reviews.sh ${{ github.repository }} ${{ github.event.number }} "$OWNERS_FILE"
       env:
         GH_TOKEN: ${{ steps.app-token.outputs.token }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/eval.yml b/.github/workflows/eval.yml
index 2e99bb17b8bb8..72b2103b87207 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/eval.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/eval.yml
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Build the requestReviews derivation
         run: nix-build base/ci -A requestReviews
 
-      - name: Tagging pull request
+      - name: Labelling pull request
         run: |
           # Get all currently set rebuild labels
           gh api \
@@ -283,18 +283,18 @@ jobs:
               -f "labels[]=$toAdd"
           done < <(comm -13 before after)
 
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+          REPOSITORY: ${{ github.repository }}
+          NUMBER: ${{ github.event.number }}
+
+      - name: Requesting maintainer reviews
+        run: |
           # maintainers.json contains GitHub IDs. Look up handles to request reviews from.
           # There appears to be no API to request reviews based on GitHub IDs
           jq -r 'keys[]' comparison/maintainers.json \
             | while read -r id; do gh api /user/"$id" --jq .login; done \
-            | GH_TOKEN=${{ steps.app-token.outputs.token }} result/bin/process-reviewers.sh "$REPOSITORY" "$NUMBER" "$AUTHOR" \
-            > reviewers.json
-
-          # Request reviewers from maintainers of changed output paths
-          GH_TOKEN=${{ steps.app-token.outputs.token }} gh api \
-            --method POST \
-            /repos/"$REPOSITORY"/pulls/"$NUMBER"/requested_reviewers \
-            --input reviewers.json
+            | GH_TOKEN=${{ steps.app-token.outputs.token }} result/bin/request-reviewers.sh "$REPOSITORY" "$NUMBER" "$AUTHOR"
 
         env:
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
diff --git a/ci/request-reviews/default.nix b/ci/request-reviews/default.nix
index f5f8dc1deb004..b180d60be97c3 100644
--- a/ci/request-reviews/default.nix
+++ b/ci/request-reviews/default.nix
@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@ stdenvNoCC.mkDerivation {
   src = lib.fileset.toSource {
     root = ./.;
     fileset = lib.fileset.unions [
-      ./get-reviewers.sh
-      ./process-reviewers.sh
-      ./request-reviews.sh
+      ./get-code-owners.sh
+      ./request-reviewers.sh
+      ./request-code-owner-reviews.sh
       ./verify-base-branch.sh
       ./dev-branches.txt
     ];
diff --git a/ci/request-reviews/get-reviewers.sh b/ci/request-reviews/get-code-owners.sh
similarity index 100%
rename from ci/request-reviews/get-reviewers.sh
rename to ci/request-reviews/get-code-owners.sh
diff --git a/ci/request-reviews/request-reviews.sh b/ci/request-reviews/request-code-owner-reviews.sh
similarity index 79%
rename from ci/request-reviews/request-reviews.sh
rename to ci/request-reviews/request-code-owner-reviews.sh
index 986f3684b42a2..fefc8c3be3fa2 100755
--- a/ci/request-reviews/request-reviews.sh
+++ b/ci/request-reviews/request-code-owner-reviews.sh
@@ -77,20 +77,6 @@ if ! "$SCRIPT_DIR"/verify-base-branch.sh "$tmp/nixpkgs.git" "$headRef" "$baseRep
     exit 1
 fi
 
-log "Getting code owners to request reviews from"
-"$SCRIPT_DIR"/get-reviewers.sh "$tmp/nixpkgs.git" "$ownersFile" "$baseBranch" "$headRef" | \
-    "$SCRIPT_DIR"/process-reviewers.sh "$baseRepo" "$prNumber" "$prAuthor" > "$tmp/reviewers.json"
-
-log "Requesting reviews from: $(<"$tmp/reviewers.json")"
-
-if ! response=$(effect gh api \
-    --method POST \
-    -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-    -H "X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2022-11-28" \
-    "/repos/$baseRepo/pulls/$prNumber/requested_reviewers" \
-    --input "$tmp/reviewers.json"); then
-    log "Failed to request reviews: $response"
-    exit 1
-fi
-
-log "Successfully requested reviews"
+log "Requesting reviews from code owners"
+"$SCRIPT_DIR"/get-code-owners.sh "$tmp/nixpkgs.git" "$ownersFile" "$baseBranch" "$headRef" | \
+    "$SCRIPT_DIR"/request-reviewers.sh "$baseRepo" "$prNumber" "$prAuthor"
diff --git a/ci/request-reviews/process-reviewers.sh b/ci/request-reviews/request-reviewers.sh
similarity index 62%
rename from ci/request-reviews/process-reviewers.sh
rename to ci/request-reviews/request-reviewers.sh
index de969c5c9e4f0..7bb4d110fe1bd 100755
--- a/ci/request-reviews/process-reviewers.sh
+++ b/ci/request-reviews/request-reviewers.sh
@@ -1,15 +1,26 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 
-# Process reviewers for a PR, reading line-separated usernames on stdin,
-# returning a JSON suitable to be consumed by the API endpoint to request reviews:
+# Request reviewers for a PR, reading line-separated usernames on stdin,
+# filtering for valid reviewers before using the API endpoint to request reviews:
 # https://docs.github.com/en/rest/pulls/review-requests?apiVersion=2022-11-28#request-reviewers-for-a-pull-request
 
 set -euo pipefail
 
+tmp=$(mktemp -d)
+trap 'rm -rf "$tmp"' exit
+
 log() {
     echo "$@" >&2
 }
 
+effect() {
+    if [[ -n "${DRY_MODE:-}" ]]; then
+        log "Skipping in dry mode:" "${@@Q}"
+    else
+        "$@"
+    fi
+}
+
 if (( "$#" < 3 )); then
     log "Usage: $0 BASE_REPO PR_NUMBER PR_AUTHOR"
     exit 1
@@ -42,7 +53,7 @@ gh api \
 # And we don't want to rerequest reviews from people who already reviewed
 while read -r user; do
     if [[ -v users[${user,,}] ]]; then
-        log "User $user is a code owner but has already left a review, ignoring"
+        log "User $user is a potential reviewer, but has already left a review, ignoring"
         unset 'users[${user,,}]'
     fi
 done < "$tmp/already-reviewed-by"
@@ -57,9 +68,16 @@ for user in "${!users[@]}"; do
     fi
 done
 
-# Turn it into a JSON for the GitHub API call to request PR reviewers
-jq -n \
-    --arg users "${!users[*]}" \
-    '{
-      reviewers: $users | split(" "),
-    }'
+for user in "${!users[@]}"; do
+    log "Requesting review from: $user"
+
+    if ! response=$(jq -n --arg user "$user" '{ reviewers: [ $user ] }' | \
+        effect gh api \
+            --method POST \
+            -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
+            -H "X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2022-11-28" \
+            "/repos/$baseRepo/pulls/$prNumber/requested_reviewers" \
+            --input -); then
+        log "Failed to request review from $user: $response"
+    fi
+done